The iPhone Should Run... Windows?! Allow Us to Retort...!

Here's an idea: take the most revolutionary, innovative, and talked about smartphone in years and suggest it should chuck it's industry changing multi-touch, UNIX-solid OS for something every manufacturer saddled with is desperate to burry (see Windows Mobile, HTC Touch Diamond), or something so old and Java-limited its only claim to fame is server-bound "pushing" wrapped in ever-increasingly iPhone derived packaging (see Blackberry OS, Bold, Thunder, Storm).

So, in other words, in the land of individuality and excellence, in order to succeed the iPhone should abandon everything that makes it... the iPhone, and embrace the mediocrity of lowest-common smartphone denominator?

That's what Gary Krakow (we don't know who he is either...) tells a theStreet.com reporter so disturbingly qualified she fails to challenge him on any of the near-constant stream of fallacies, ignorance's, or unqualified statements he makes. (Here's a freebie "But didn't Apple already license Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft in an event so widely seen it nearly brought down the Internet?")

The iPhone needs to up its game? Do either of you depressing examples of modern media even know what game Apple's playing?

But enough about them. Here's our take on whether or not Apple should ditch iPhone OS X for Windows Mobile or Blackberry OS:

Bottom line, does any serious-minded journalist or pundit alike (if any such animal still exists!) really think the smartphone space would be better off with Apple merely producing just another Windows Mobile or Blackberry device or form factor, instead of offering another choice, and undeniably pushing the entire industry out of complacency?

We didn't think so.

(And for the record, yes, we are calling up Rob Enderle and warning him theStreeties are gunning for his "job"...)

Reader comments

The iPhone Should Run... Windows?! Allow Us to Retort...!

I saw that yesterday too. Usually, Gary Krakow seems to grasp the cell phone market and point out some commonly understood truths even if they are not his original thoughts. Over the last week he's made some errors where it's starting to look like he's either lost his marbles or has begun a drinking quest. For example, earlier in the week he reported that the 'Googlephone' would not arrive until 2009. What's wrong with that? Google has never indicated that they're coming out with a branded device instead opting to launch a platform - Android. Numerous people got to him and shortly after he put up another piece talking about the fact that there will indeed be Android products available in 2008. I thought that was bad but the comments he made about the iPhone were a shockingly bad moment for him because it was so out there. We'll have to see if he comes out with a retraction on this like the G-Phone, Android phone what's in a name one he did earlier in the week.

Does he even have a clue to the hate that most non-techie Windows Mobile users have for it? Does he understand that Apple licensed ActiveSync for full on Exchange Support? Does he understand that businesses that have shied away from BlackBerry Enterprise Expensive-ware have been looking for a good WinMo alternative for years?
This guy has absolutely lost it.

I just watched it again...
Years of R&D... Millions of dollars.
Designing one of the most powerful mobile operating systems ever.... Millions of dollars.
Having some bloated, extremely under informed analyst tell you to throw it all away in favor of the clumsiest mobile OS available... Priceless!
This is without a doubt one of the funniest things I have seen all week.